Wamsley01 Posted March 20, 2008 Share Posted March 20, 2008 http://wwwrealitycheckeyesontheprize.blogs...-guillaume.html Great perspective on Latendresse. Personally I think he has unrealistic expectations on him. He is 21 and improving. Anyways, I posted this because of Lats but I also personally I think that Eyes On The Prize is the best Habs blog out there. Must read for me anyways Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neech Posted March 20, 2008 Share Posted March 20, 2008 I like Gui a lot. He had ridiculous hype last year, and he handled it well, especially for a young guy. He gives really good interviews, says the right things, and is pretty frank and candid about his performances. If we're going to have a young Québecois hero (who doesn't really deserve it yet), I'm happy with him. Plus, I like him as a hockey player. He's definitely not well rounded, but the fact that he has 16 goals again this year in his limited playing time shows that he can produce. I would like to see him on a few more powerplays, maybe even out there with Plex and Kovy to stand in front of the net and bat in rebounds. I have high hopes for his future, and I think his breakout season might be as soon as next year. I wouldn't be surprised to see him get 25+ goals with more playing time, maybe alongside Saku. And the whole free-pass from the French media thing is old news, Pierre and Yvon are harder on Latendresse than most players. All in all, I think Gui in three years will be a high-scoring power forward, and the sky's the limit on how much he could produce with the great-passing youngsters we've got. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Habsfan Posted March 20, 2008 Share Posted March 20, 2008 He is 21 and improving He's still 20 years old! Great read nonetheless. Thanks for posting this! Like I've said numerous times, it takes longer for Power forwards to develop. Anyone remember how long it took John Leclair to become a premier player??? If I remember well, Lelcair was not the best skater on the ice and it didn'T stop him from scoring three or four 50 goals seasons! I'm happy to read that the kid is taking his off ice training more seriously this year and that he is working on his skating skills. It will help him in the long run. What Guillaume needs to learn is to park his Butt in front of the net and get lots of garbage goals! All in all, I think Gui in three years will be a high-scoring power forward, The best thing about that is that he'll only be 23 years old by then!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wamsley01 Posted March 20, 2008 Author Share Posted March 20, 2008 He's still 20 years old! Great read nonetheless. Thanks for posting this! Like I've said numerous times, it takes longer for Power forwards to develop. Anyone remember how long it took John Leclair to become a premier player??? If I remember well, Lelcair was not the best skater on the ice and it didn'T stop him from scoring three or four 50 goals seasons! I'm happy to read that the kid is taking his off ice training more seriously this year and that he is working on his skating skills. It will help him in the long run. What Guillaume needs to learn is to park his Butt in front of the net and get lots of garbage goals! The best thing about that is that he'll only be 23 years old by then!!! Andreychuk couldn't skate either and put up 600+ goals. Gui has also showed he can produce on the top line, he just never plays there. Bertuzzi didn't begin to produce until he was 25 and Primeau was 23 before he had any impact. Just need to be patient Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Habsfan Posted March 20, 2008 Share Posted March 20, 2008 (edited) Just need to be patient Exactly! try to find another player in the NHL who has 16 goals and averages 12:15 per game, with NO PP time on a 3rd or 4th line! There aren't any! Edited March 20, 2008 by Habsfan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KoZed Posted March 20, 2008 Share Posted March 20, 2008 Lats has the best goals/ice-time ratio of all 15+ goals scorers in the league... Anyway, at this point of his career Latendresse's "homework" isnt to produce offensively but to polish his game without the puck. He has improved is puck clearings along the board in the defensive zone compared to earlier in the season. And he showed willingness to work hard on his skating. He'll never be mistaken for Pavel Bure but it's slowly improving too. Once those fundamentals are well assimilated, he'll be able to focus on his offensive game which should show a good stats increase. All in all a good 20 yrs old kid who proved to be a steal considering we drafted him in the mid 2nd round. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonus Posted March 20, 2008 Share Posted March 20, 2008 Lats has the best goals/ice-time ratio of all 15+ goals scorers in the league... that is a fantastic stat! good find. but I don't think it is true. Ovechkin has 58G in 1722 TOI Latendresse has 16G in 847 TOI Lats scores about half as often as Ovechkin. Maybe you meant on the team? Still cool though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KoZed Posted March 20, 2008 Share Posted March 20, 2008 that is a fantastic stat! good find. Lats scores about half as often as Ovechkin. Maybe you meant on the team? Still cool though I didnt find it. It's a stats they mentionned on CKAC about a week ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BTH Posted March 20, 2008 Share Posted March 20, 2008 http://wwwrealitycheckeyesontheprize.blogs...-guillaume.html Great perspective on Latendresse. Personally I think he has unrealistic expectations on him. He is 21 and improving. Anyways, I posted this because of Lats but I also personally I think that Eyes On The Prize is the best Habs blog out there. Must read for me anyways His grammar mistakes and the weird way he lays out the articles make it kind of hard for me to read/enjoy his blogs. But I like Latendresse, he isn't the best player yet, but he does his job hitting and scoring the occasional goal. If only he could get a step or two faster and starting to shoot more. That's basically what he's missing before he can hit his potential as a top 6 power forward. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wamsley01 Posted March 20, 2008 Author Share Posted March 20, 2008 His grammar mistakes and the weird way he lays out the articles make it kind of hard for me to read/enjoy his blogs. But I like Latendresse, he isn't the best player yet, but he does his job hitting and scoring the occasional goal. If only he could get a step or two faster and starting to shoot more. That's basically what he's missing before he can hit his potential as a top 6 power forward. I am referring to the content. I find he is straight and to the point. No gimmick with a knowledgeable fan's perspective. Not trying to emulate the Sportsguy, or trying to be funny. Not overanalyzing everything. A couple of Habs fan blogs are so wordy I am gone before the first half paragraph. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Habsfan84 Posted March 20, 2008 Share Posted March 20, 2008 Nice little article. Guy is a good player but we still have to remember that he is young. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMMR Posted March 20, 2008 Share Posted March 20, 2008 I just hope Gui can learn the two most important moves for a large man. How to back guys down and get to the net. How to dish the puck when he gets double teamed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KoZed Posted March 20, 2008 Share Posted March 20, 2008 I just hope Gui can learn the two most important moves for a large man. How to back guys down and get to the net. How to dish the puck when he gets double teamed. The thing I noticed is that since his weight loss last summer Lats can't seem to be able to lend on defenders as much as before. Hopefully more leg strength changes that with some speed gain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BTH Posted March 20, 2008 Share Posted March 20, 2008 I am referring to the content. I find he is straight and to the point. No gimmick with a knowledgeable fan's perspective. Not trying to emulate the Sportsguy, or trying to be funny. Not overanalyzing everything. A couple of Habs fan blogs are so wordy I am gone before the first half paragraph. I know you are, but it's tough to get through an article if it,.s writ_tin li-k e t,hiis. That's obviously a huge exaggeration, but the presentation is a big part of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SAKS-AVENUE Posted March 22, 2008 Share Posted March 22, 2008 His grammar mistakes and the weird way he lays out the articles make it kind of hard for me to read/enjoy his blogs. But I like Latendresse, he isn't the best player yet, but he does his job hitting and scoring the occasional goal. If only he could get a step or two faster and starting to shoot more. That's basically what he's missing before he can hit his potential as a top 6 power forward. I think Latendresse is more our future John Leclair . More so than Higgins or anyone else on the farm. Just like Leclair, he shows these moments of greatness for very short bursts. Which I don't consider streaky, It's more a process of development. I remember Leclair would always dominate pre-season. 10 goals in 10 games, when the season would start he would sort of disappear. I kept taking him in last rounds of my hockey pools as a dark horse and people would laugh me out of the house. Sure enough he went on to become a regular 50 goal scorer. I think Latendresse has the goods and we should be very patient with him. He may be our next 50 goal guy. I'm actually really happy that we have so much youth doing well that the media has left Latendresse alone. It would be such a pain if he was all we had and the media was calling him a bust. That kid has a bright future and I can't wait to see it evolve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Easy Ryder Posted March 27, 2008 Share Posted March 27, 2008 There was not much words about it on other threads but Guillaume is going to be ok for this week-end games if needed. It is a good thing that the injury was only a neck thing and not a concussion, he suffered two concussion in his last junior year, at the time of the injury against Boston i feared a concussion for him. In the playoffs he will be needed both for checking hard and for some goals. In the back to back games i would sit him against Buffalo and play him against Toronto saturday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ForumGhost Posted March 27, 2008 Share Posted March 27, 2008 He's a good power forward but unless he develops some kind of amazing shot or finishing ability, I can't see him as more than a 3rd line player on this highly-offensive team. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAK Posted March 27, 2008 Share Posted March 27, 2008 He's a good power forward but unless he develops some kind of amazing shot or finishing ability, I can't see him as more than a 3rd line player on this highly-offensive team. thats where he's at right now. I don't see guillaume being a power foward. he's big big he doesn't crash the net, doesn't throw his body around enough to be considered a power foward. he's just a talented foward in a big body. hey, if he becomes a Dave Andreychuck or aThomas Holmstrom I'll be more than happy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neech Posted March 27, 2008 Share Posted March 27, 2008 thats where he's at right now. I don't see guillaume being a power foward. he's big big he doesn't crash the net, doesn't throw his body around enough to be considered a power foward. he's just a talented foward in a big body. hey, if he becomes a Dave Andreychuck or aThomas Holmstrom I'll be more than happy. He could adapt his style in the future. He'll get stronger as he matures. I do think it's better for him to have the skating ability to keep up with the rest of the team, however, even if it means losing a few pounds that could come in handy around the net. Him and Sergei Kostitsyn together would look good for another decade. :hlogo: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BTH Posted March 27, 2008 Share Posted March 27, 2008 He could adapt his style in the future. He'll get stronger as he matures. I do think it's better for him to have the skating ability to keep up with the rest of the team, however, even if it means losing a few pounds that could come in handy around the net. Him and Sergei Kostitsyn together would look good for another decade. :hlogo: I'm having trouble seeing the high potential Latendresse was branded with. I could see him becoming a 30/30 guy someday (at best), but not the 40/40 some optimistic fans (possibly myself, I can't remember) thought he could hit a year or two ago. If he can get faster it'll really make a huge difference in his game though. It could decide whether he winds up as a top 6 power forward or a bottom 6 grinder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMMR Posted March 27, 2008 Share Posted March 27, 2008 I'm having trouble seeing the high potential Latendresse was branded with. I could see him becoming a 30/30 guy someday (at best), but not the 40/40 some optimistic fans (possibly myself, I can't remember) thought he could hit a year or two ago. If he can get faster it'll really make a huge difference in his game though. It could decide whether he winds up as a top 6 power forward or a bottom 6 grinder. I would rather Latendresse become a 40-20 guy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SAKS-AVENUE Posted March 28, 2008 Share Posted March 28, 2008 I would rather Latendresse become a 40-20 guy. I would rarher Latendresse become a 50-20 guy........I think he really might. Actually 51-23.In the next 3 seasons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Chicoutimi Cucumber Posted March 28, 2008 Share Posted March 28, 2008 Lats is so young that his full potential remains very hazy (or am I stating the obvious?). I'm not certain he has the hands to be a Leclair type. He might, but we can't take that to the bank. However, 30-30 certainly seems realistic - in fact I'd be amazed if he doesn't become this. The thing is, if you combine that with a crash-and-bang, big physical presence, you get an extremely valuable NHL forward. And then when you consider that he might be able to do more, well...you realize just how good this team could end up becoming! The danger with Lats is that he will wear out his welcome. It could be another four, five, six years (!) until he really hits his stride. No doubt, Gainey, if he's still with us, will have the necessary patience, but his coaches might not, and neither might the fans. If at some point we turn on him and make him the scapegoat for whatever woes are ailing us, moving him out might become necessary for his own development. So we need to keep reminding ourselves just how ridiculously young he is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MFT77 Posted March 28, 2008 Share Posted March 28, 2008 The kid is only 20. People gotta remember this. Big, bruising winger who may score a bucketload of goals one day. Hate to see that in another uniform. With the team winning and Lats growing into his game, let's be patient and let him develop. Sometimes his lack of speed can be frustrating to watch, but let him grow into his role. Let's hope for 20 goals next year, and continued higher. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wamsley01 Posted March 28, 2008 Author Share Posted March 28, 2008 Lats is so young that his full potential remains very hazy (or am I stating the obvious?). I'm not certain he has the hands to be a Leclair type. He might, but we can't take that to the bank. However, 30-30 certainly seems realistic - in fact I'd be amazed if he doesn't become this. The thing is, if you combine that with a crash-and-bang, big physical presence, you get an extremely valuable NHL forward. And then when you consider that he might be able to do more, well...you realize just how good this team could end up becoming! The danger with Lats is that he will wear out his welcome. It could be another four, five, six years (!) until he really hits his stride. No doubt, Gainey, if he's still with us, will have the necessary patience, but his coaches might not, and neither might the fans. If at some point we turn on him and make him the scapegoat for whatever woes are ailing us, moving him out might become necessary for his own development. So we need to keep reminding ourselves just how ridiculously young he is. I still think he can be an elite level power forward if given 1st line time and play on the top PP unit. He has produced in his limited time on the top line. Andreychuk was a 30 goal guy who had a couple 40 goal years and when he was paired with Gilmour potted 50. Bertuzzi emerged as a force when paired with Markus Naslund, Neely with Janney and Oates. Glen Murray with Joe Thornton etc etc. He will hit the 30 mark I am pretty sure, but pair him with that elite centerman and I would not limit his potential with a guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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